Happily Ever After?
by VampireChic479
Summary: Ten years after graduating from Forks High School, Bella & Edward reconnect on the Forks' HS Alumni Forum a few months before their high school reunion. They could not have been more different in high school, but now they have a lot more in common than they could have ever imagined. But will it be enough for them to find their "happily ever after?"


Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything.

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Happily Ever After?

Chapter 1

Vampire or Human: Human

Background Info:

Forks, Washington – 2016

Ten years after graduating from Forks High School, Bella & Edward reconnect on the Forks' HS Alumni Forum a few months before their high school reunion. They could not have been more different in high school, but now they have a lot more in common than they could have ever imagined. But will it be enough for them to find their "happily ever after?"

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Edward's POV:

"How's it going, Edward?" I heard from behind me as I reached into my mailbox.

"I can't complain, Mr. Peterson," I smiled waving over to Erik Peterson, my sixty-something year old neighbor from across the street. "What about yourself?"

"Getting along," he smiled walking down his driveway to his mailbox as I closed mine.

"How is Mrs. Peterson feeling?" I inquired as stepped back up onto my driveway.

"She has a chemotherapy treatment tomorrow so, she'll be under the weather for a few days," he replied looking up from a hand-full of mail, probably doctor bills. Mr. Peterson's wife, Martha, had been diagnosed with lung cancer six months ago and has been doing intensive chemo treatments without much luck.

"Well, I'll be praying for you both," I smiled confidently. I was not particularly religious, but I knew that Mr. Peterson was a deacon at the local Methodist church.

"Thank you, Edward," he nodded walking back up his driveway as I thumbed through the stack of envelopes in my hand. Halfway through the stack there was a postcard addressed to me from the Forks High School Alumni Board. Lovely, another reminder that I am getting old. It read:

The Forks High School Alumni Board invites you to celebrate with all of the familiar faces that you have missed over the past ten years.

Saturday, September 8, 2016

Quillayute River Resort

473 Mora Road, Forks, Washington

Dinner will be served at 6:00

Before the fun begins check out .com and create an account to reconnect with all your former classmates.

This did make me curious to see how everyone else's life had turned out. I know my life has not turned out nearly as I planned.

When I graduated from high school in 2006 I had planned to graduate from Louisiana State University as a draft pick for the NFL. However, I partied too much and failed out after a year. My dad was deeply disappointed so, too regain his respect and to make a living I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. It was there that I found my second passion in life, after football. I loved being in the cockpit. It was when I was stationed in Del Rio, Texas, for pilot training, I met Carsyn Michaels. She was unlike any girl I had ever met. So sure of herself and what she wanted. She made it clear from the beginning that she was not interested in me, but after about a month she broke down and agreed to go out with me. We weren't together six months when I asked her to marry me. As silly as it sounded she made me a better me. We married in a small court house ceremony in July 2008. I finished my pilots training a few weeks later and I was transferred to Omaha, Nebraska, to the Offutt Air Force Base. We weren't there two months when I was deployed to Afghanistan. I was gone almost a year and when I returned Carsyn and I began trying to get pregnant. Five years and three deployments later it was now Carsyn, me, and our three year old twins, Ellis and Elliot. By then I had reached the rank of First Lieutenant and we were living in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where I was training men and women to execute combat missions in support of the Aerospace Expeditionary Force. I was waiting on a call for a promotion when Carsyn found out she was pregnant again. Although, unplanned I was overjoyed, but instead of a call for a promotion I got a call for another deployment, my fifth. Carsyn managed to cope with news and I was deployed in March of 2013. Then in September, after a long day of training Iraq soldiers, I was called into the commanding officer's office and was told the unthinkable. I was informed that just four days after giving birth to a stillborn baby girl, Carsyn had committed suicide in our home. I was shipped back to North Carolina to take care of the arrangements and to take care of myself. I left work for almost four months so the twins and I could somehow find a new since of routine in our lives. With help from my parents and Carsyn's dad, we were able to regain some form of normalcy. I was promoted to Captain and we were given a fresh start in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Nellis Air Force Base, where I have been training and choreographing for the Thunderbirds for almost three years. Now I have a beautiful future Olympic gymnast and future NBA All-star, well, for now that's what they want to be, that are the center of my world.

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Bella's POV:

"Initial here and sign here," my lawyer directed with a rather expensive looking pen. "You are officially divorced."

"Great," I stated rolled my eyes and placing the pen on the table.

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Ms. Swan?" Mr. Brightman asked standing from the conference table.

"I don't think so," I shrugged standing as well.

"Well, if you ever need my services again give me a call," he offered shaking my hand and walking out of the conference room.

"Hopefully, I won't," I chuckle heading in the way of the elevator. What a day. What a year! I was ready to just kick back, relax, and have myself a margarita. I was actually thinking about taking Bianca up on her offer to take me and some of the girls to Las Vegas for the weekend, but I thought better of it. I had to be at work bright and early on Monday and I had a lot of work to do on the house. Mac, my ex-husband, agreed to let me have the house in the settlement and I needed a fresh start so I decided to repaint the whole place with a new bedroom suit for the master bedroom and a new dining room set.

As I drove home I still couldn't believe that I was divorced. "I can't believe things have turned out this way," I mumbled to myself. I met Mac the summer after I graduated from high school, when I served as a bridesmaid for a friend from Arizona and he was a groomsman. We hit it off immediately even more so that we stayed up all night just talking. He was the first guy I had been able to do that with in a while. We exchanged numbers and began texting regularly even after I returned to Seattle. I began my work in the airport costumer service industry at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport right after high school through a contact of Billy's and quickly moved up the ranks. I was given the option of a promotion after three years to Customer Service Lead Supervisor at a selection of smaller airports around the country and choice the Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport in Arizona to get out frigid Seattle and to be closer to Mac. He had his own law practice in Kingman, only forty minutes away. I loved working over people immediately and fell right into place in Bullhead. Mac moved to Bullhead and was able to sign on as partner to Paul Lenkowsky in his law practice. Mac and I married in July of 2009. We could not have been more happy. Well, at least that's what I thought.

"So, 'peacock feather' or 'sunflower'?" I asked looking down at my slightly overweight Welsh Corgi, Benny, as I held up the paint samples to the walls in the living room. He simply gave his tail a wag and went back to his nap. Benny had always favored Mac, but Mac made it clear that he wanted me to keep the four dogs we had once shared. That was something that brought Mac and I together was our love of animals, dogs in particular.

"'Peacock feather', it is," I said with excitement placing the paint sample to the side and picking up the stack of paint samples for the bathroom off the coffee table and walked down the hall to the half bathroom. "I'm thinking 'juicy passionfruit' for the bathroom or maybe 'lilac rose'?" I asked lifting the samples up against the walls as my Border collie, Sally, followed after me. Mac called her my shadow, because she literally followed me everywhere and was heartbroken when I left her for even the smallest amount of time. I rescued her as a puppy off the side of a business interstate right after I moved to Bullhead. She's been with me for almost seven years. In addition to Benny and Sally, I have Carry, a Dalmatian, and my newest addition, Tommy, a West Highland white terrier.

"You're right, 'lilac rose' is too girly." Some people thought I was crazy for talking to my dogs, but it felt good knowing that there was someone there just to hear my voice, even if they don't understand what I am saying. I gathered my keys to make a trip to Lowe's before leaving I peeped in my mailbox to see if the mail had run. It was still a little early so I doubt it had run, yet. I was wrong, however, and grabbed the handful of envelopes and tossed them in the passenger seat as I started my car. I made the quick trip to Lowe's grabbing the supplies I needed to begin painting. I decided to start with the largest room to get the ball rolling. When I got home I sat down with my mail and my favorite, a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a cold beer. At the bottom of the stack was an invitation to the Forks High School ten year class reunion. "Oh, joy," I mumbled taking a bite of my sandwich looking down at all of my puppy dogs trying to guilt me with their big eyes and wagging tales to drop a couple of potato chips.

Even though I was not one of those teenagers that absolutely hated my high school experience, I was glad to be done with that stage of my life. However, the information regarding the online forum did intrigue me. Although, I did not have many friends in high school, I did get a particular enjoyment out of observing everybody else's life. I stood going over to my MacBook on the kitchen island and logging onto the internet and onto the website provided. It was requested that I create an account with username, password, etc. I stood there looking at the username blank for about a minute when I finally decided on FlyinHigh09. Let my people watching commence!

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It's so good to be back. Please review & check out my other stories. Thanks!


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